Vught
Encyclopedia
Vught is a municipality
and a town in the southern Netherlands
. It is a town where lots of commuters live and has recently been named "Best place to live" by the Dutch magazine Elsevier
.
On August 17 2009 Rob Brekelmans succeeded Chris de Graaf as the town's secretary
Margarete Gallinat
. The Nazis initially used this location as a transit camp to gather mostly Jewish prisoners for classification and transportation to camps in Poland and other areas.
A group of women were severely punished for standing up for another female prisoner. Seventy-four women were pushed into a cell room of barely nine square meters and held there for over fourteen hours. Ten of the women died, and several suffered permanent physical or mental damage. The camp commander responsible was demoted by Himmler to the regular rank of soldier and sent to the Hungarian front; he died there in 1945.
Dutch underground members Corrie
and Betsie ten Boom
were held at Vught in 1944, before being sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Poncke Princen
, who would later become known for going over to the Indonesia
n guerrillas opposing Dutch rule, was imprisoned at Vught for his anti-Nazi activities.
Vught was liberated by the Canadians at the end of the war, but only after German guards killed several hundred prisoners held there.
The barracks of Camp Vught were later adapted into a number of home units to house Indonesian Moluccan immigrants, who were coming to the Netherlands for work.
In addition a prison called Nieuw Vosseveld was built on part of the site of Camp Vught. In the beginning, it chiefly held young offenders. Today it is used for high-risk criminals. To this end, the prison was equipped with a high security unit, or EBI, in 1993.
Vught has a castle, called Maurick; its history dates to the 13th century. In 1629 the castle was occupied by Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
. Frederick Henry wanted to have the castle as his headquarter for his siege of 's-Hertogenbosch. The castle has been adapted to house a restaurant, which has been recognised with one Michelin Star.
was a well-to-do nobleman who lived in Vught in the twentieth century. He became a hermit
, but had studied law and acquired a large amount of land and several buildings. He frequently argued with the local authorities, mostly over land issues. He chose to let all his properties deteriorate, which officials opposed, but letting his lands go enabled them to return to natural habitat. Animal species lived on his land that had disappeared elsewhere. His land holdings in and around the town of Vught were never open to the general public. On December 7, 2003 Marggraff's manor (Zionsburg) burned down; his body was found later in the entrance hallway near the front door.
Marggraff's surviving sisters founded a non-profit corporation, Marggraff stichting, to take over and manage their late brother's extensive landholdings for public use. The organisation has opened up the land for public access, allowing people from around the region to hike in the forests.
The non-profit also has plans to rebuild Marggraff's manor. In cooperation with SIX Architects BNA from Zeist
, The Netherlands, it developed design and use plans, which are now under consideration by the local authorities.
/Utrecht
via 's-Hertogenbosch, Maastricht
via Eindhoven, Tilburg
and Nijmegen. Two highways, A2 and A65/N65 are connected to Vught.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and a town in the southern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It is a town where lots of commuters live and has recently been named "Best place to live" by the Dutch magazine Elsevier
Elsevier
Elsevier is a publishing company which publishes medical and scientific literature. It is a part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has operations in the United Kingdom, USA and elsewhere....
.
Politics
On April 2 2007 Roderick van de Mortel (VVD) was appointed mayor of Vught. The current aldermen are Peter Pennings (GB, also vice mayor), Peter van de Wiel (VVD) and Wilbert Seuren (D66).On August 17 2009 Rob Brekelmans succeeded Chris de Graaf as the town's secretary
World War II
Vught is known for having been the site of a transit/concentration camp (Herzogenbusch) built by Nazi Germany during its occupation of the Netherlands in World War II. It was part of camp Herzogenbusch, but usually better known as "Kamp Vught" (Camp Vught). The camp held male and female prisoners, many of them Jewish and political activists, captured in Belgium and the Netherlands. The guard staff included SS men and a few SS women, headed by OberaufseherinFemale guards in Nazi concentration camps
Of the 55,000 guards who served in Nazi concentration camps, about 3,700 were women. In 1942, the first female guards arrived at Auschwitz and Majdanek from Ravensbrück...
Margarete Gallinat
Margarete Gallinat
Oberaufseherin Margarete Gallinat was the head overseer at Vught. She was not known for viciousness unlike other Nazi concentration camp personnel. Gallinat later served as a supervisor at Ravensbrück concentration camp.-References:...
. The Nazis initially used this location as a transit camp to gather mostly Jewish prisoners for classification and transportation to camps in Poland and other areas.
Dutch underground members Corrie
Corrie ten Boom
Cornelia "Corrie" ten Boom was a Dutch Christian, who with her father and other family members helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. Her family was arrested due to an informant in 1944, and her father died 10 days later at Scheveningen prison where they were first held...
and Betsie ten Boom
Betsie ten Boom
Elisabeth ten Boom was one of the leading characters in The Hiding Place, a book written by her sister Corrie ten Boom about the family's experiences during World War II. Nicknamed Betsie, she suffered with pernicious anemia from her birth...
were held at Vught in 1944, before being sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Poncke Princen
Poncke Princen
Johan Cornelis Princen , better known as Poncke Princen, was a Dutch anti-Nazi fighter and colonial soldier...
, who would later become known for going over to the Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n guerrillas opposing Dutch rule, was imprisoned at Vught for his anti-Nazi activities.
Vught was liberated by the Canadians at the end of the war, but only after German guards killed several hundred prisoners held there.
Camp in post-war times
After World War II, the camp was first used as a prison for Germans and collaborators. Some of the camp has been preserved as a national monument related to the Nazi occupation during World War II. (See photo.)The barracks of Camp Vught were later adapted into a number of home units to house Indonesian Moluccan immigrants, who were coming to the Netherlands for work.
In addition a prison called Nieuw Vosseveld was built on part of the site of Camp Vught. In the beginning, it chiefly held young offenders. Today it is used for high-risk criminals. To this end, the prison was equipped with a high security unit, or EBI, in 1993.
Landmarks and nature
Just outside the town border lies the lake IJzeren Man (literally translated Iron Man). It was named after the machine that dug it in the years 1890 to 1915. The sand was needed as fill for the expansion of the nearby city of 's-Hertogenbosch. The lake is about 2 kilometers long, has a small island and is now mainly used for recreation.Vught has a castle, called Maurick; its history dates to the 13th century. In 1629 the castle was occupied by Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
Frederick Henry, or Frederik Hendrik in Dutch , was the sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel from 1625 to 1647.-Early life:...
. Frederick Henry wanted to have the castle as his headquarter for his siege of 's-Hertogenbosch. The castle has been adapted to house a restaurant, which has been recognised with one Michelin Star.
Ewald Marggraff
Ewald MarggraffEwald Marggraff
Mr. Willem Frederik Ewald Marggraff was a controversial wealthy son of a famous family of Dutch nobility.Ewald Marggraff was the son of Mr. Dr. Lodewijk Marggraff and Catharina Schran...
was a well-to-do nobleman who lived in Vught in the twentieth century. He became a hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
, but had studied law and acquired a large amount of land and several buildings. He frequently argued with the local authorities, mostly over land issues. He chose to let all his properties deteriorate, which officials opposed, but letting his lands go enabled them to return to natural habitat. Animal species lived on his land that had disappeared elsewhere. His land holdings in and around the town of Vught were never open to the general public. On December 7, 2003 Marggraff's manor (Zionsburg) burned down; his body was found later in the entrance hallway near the front door.
Marggraff's surviving sisters founded a non-profit corporation, Marggraff stichting, to take over and manage their late brother's extensive landholdings for public use. The organisation has opened up the land for public access, allowing people from around the region to hike in the forests.
The non-profit also has plans to rebuild Marggraff's manor. In cooperation with SIX Architects BNA from Zeist
Zeist
Zeist is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, located east of the city of Utrecht.-Population centres :*Austerlitz*Bosch en Duin*Den Dolder*Huis ter Heide*Zeist- The town of Zeist :...
, The Netherlands, it developed design and use plans, which are now under consideration by the local authorities.
Department of corrections - PI Vught
From 1953, part of the former detention camp was developed as a juvenile prison. Today it contains 15 separate units, holding 2400 prisoners. PI Vught has a prison with the status of a high-security unit. Amongst the criminals imprisoned there are:- Samir AzzouzSamir AzzouzSamir Azzouz is a Dutch national of Moroccan descent. He is currently incarcerated in Nieuw Vosseveld on suspicion of attempting to procure heavy firearms and planning terrorist attacks...
, terrorist with ties to Hofstad NetworkHofstad NetworkThe Hofstad Network is an Islamist group of mostly young Dutch Muslims of mainly Moroccan ancestry.The name "Hofstad" was originally the codename the Dutch secret service AIVD used for a set of individuals and leaked to the media... - Mohammed BouyeriMohammed BouyeriMohammed Bouyeri is an Islamist Dutch–Moroccan and convicted murderer. He is currently serving a life sentence without parole for the assassination of Dutch film director Theo van Gogh. He holds both Dutch and Moroccan citizenship...
, murderer of Theo van Gogh (film director)Theo van Gogh (film director)Theodoor "Theo" van Gogh was a Dutch film director, film producer, columnist, author and actor.Van Gogh worked with the Somali-born writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali to produce the film Submission, which criticized the treatment of women in Islam and aroused controversy among Muslims... - Willem HolleederWillem HolleederWillem Frederik Holleeder is perhaps one of the best known Dutch criminals. In 2007 he was sentenced to nine years in prison for several counts of extortion, including the extortion of Willem Endstra, who was murdered in 2004 after falling-out with Holleeder. He is currently serving his sentence...
, one of the perpetrators in the kidnapping of Freddy HeinekenFreddy HeinekenAlfred Henry Heineken was a Dutch major stock holder and president of Heineken International, the brewing company bought in 1864 by his grandfather Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam.... - Johan Verhoek, nicknamed 'de hakkelaar', drug dealerIllegal drug tradeThe illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
- Curtis Warren, British drug trafficker
Transport
Vught has a railway station with connections to AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
/Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
via 's-Hertogenbosch, Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
via Eindhoven, Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
and Nijmegen. Two highways, A2 and A65/N65 are connected to Vught.
Notable residents and natives
- Joost Prinsen, actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, television presenter of the Dutch quiz "Met het mes op tafel" - Erna SpoorenbergErna SpoorenbergErna Spoorenberg was a Dutch soprano.She was born in Yogyakarta, Java now part of Indonesia. As a child, she studied the violin and singing and, at the age of 14, she studied under Isa Neuhaus, a singer with the Düsseldorf Opera...
, sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... - Frank HoubenFrank HoubenFrank Johannes Maria Houben was the governor for the Dutch province of North Brabant in between 22 April 1987 and 1 October 2003. Houben retired on October 1 2003, after 17 years of service for Beatrix of the Netherlands...
, former governorGovernorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the province North BrabantNorth BrabantNorth Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :... - Corrie ten BoomCorrie ten BoomCornelia "Corrie" ten Boom was a Dutch Christian, who with her father and other family members helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. Her family was arrested due to an informant in 1944, and her father died 10 days later at Scheveningen prison where they were first held...
, ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Holocaust survivor, who housed Jewish families in her home - Betsie ten BoomBetsie ten BoomElisabeth ten Boom was one of the leading characters in The Hiding Place, a book written by her sister Corrie ten Boom about the family's experiences during World War II. Nicknamed Betsie, she suffered with pernicious anemia from her birth...
, Corrie ten BoomCorrie ten BoomCornelia "Corrie" ten Boom was a Dutch Christian, who with her father and other family members helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. Her family was arrested due to an informant in 1944, and her father died 10 days later at Scheveningen prison where they were first held...
's sister - Michael L. GellerMichael L. GellerMichael Lazarevich Geller or Misha Geller was a Russian viola player and composer.- Moscow years :...
, composer, violist - Anton de KomAnton de KomCornelis Gerard Anton de Kom was a Surinamese resistance fighter and anti-colonialist author.-Biography:...
, Surinamese resistance fighterResistance during World War IIResistance movements during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation, disinformation and propaganda to hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns...
and anti-colonialist author - Jan-Hein ArensJan-Hein ArensJan-Hein Arens is a Dutch painter, sculptor and illustrator. He attended the Grafische School Eindhoven from 1992–1996, where he was educated in Graphic Design and illustration...
, painterPaintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is... - Maarten van der Vleuten, composer, producer, recording artist
- Mina Witteman, writer
- Albert Verlinde, Dutch tv-host, producer of theater-shows
External links
- Kamp Vught
- six.nl, six architects BNA, rebuilding Marggraff's estate]
- 'Between Heaven and Hell, living in camp vught' is a documentary that interviews survivors of Camp Vught
- Vughts Historisch Museum
- vught in old pictures with story's
- Ewald Marggraff's private life with historical stories en precious images,music and historical movies